Luke 21:1-4 | Great Mite

Lead In

Good morning, today we are going to look at a familiar passage, the Widows Mite. Most of the time people focus on the widow, but the subject is really on the Pharisees that look down their noses at the widow.

We are going to take a little bit closer of a look at this passage on Harvest@Home.

Introduce Ministry

Luke 21:1–4 KJV 1900

And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.

Contempt

Engage

New Wisdom = Looking down on others

When I first became a Christian and started to read the Bible, I developed a much better understanding of how people are supposed to live. I started to develop an understanding that I was lacking before that there is a great deal of wisdom in living according the guidance God lays out for us.

Unfortunately, still being immature as a Christian, this understanding allowed me to look down on people who I didn’t see as living according to this newly gained understanding.

Familiarity Breeds Contempt

See, when you and I get to know people, and we get an insight into the way they do things or handle problems it can sometimes leave us scratching our heads, or as the poet Chaucer wrote in 1386 a book entitled “The Tale of Melibee”

Familiarity breeds contempt

Check my own attitude

I had to take a look at this attitude when I heard a preacher make the point that

Thinking that you know better how other people should live their lives is prideful and arrogant.

I didn’t like to hear that. The point wasn’t that you couldn’t know that there are biblical standards that people should live by but that only if we could order someone else's footsteps, if they could just live according to our wisdom. How much better off they would be.

But when you and I start to get prideful about where we have come in life, about how wise our decisions have been. We can then start to see others beneath us. We can start to think that we are so wise that others really ought to be heeding our every word.

Signs of Pride

Allen Parr has a list on his website of 15 Subtle Signs of Pride in your life. And If I am to be honest, I don’t think I like reading this list

#1 Assuming you already know something when somebody else is teaching

#2 Seeing yourself as too good to perform certain tasks

#3 Being too proud to ask for help

#4 Feeling the need to constantly teach people things

#5 Talking about yourself a lot

#6 Thinking your are better than other who are different or less fortunate

#7 When you disregard the advise of others

#8 You are constantly critical

#9 Constant need for attention or affirmation

#10 Unable to receive constructive criticism

#11 Overly obsessed with physical appearance

#12 Unwilling to submit to authority

#13 Ignoring peoples attempts to communicate with you

#14 Justifying our sin instead of admitting it

#15 Name dropping

I can think of times where one or more of these points defined my behaviour and if I am honest. I don’t know much the author of this list, but he is absolutely right. These issues have only come up when there was pride in my heart.

So this mornings message is entitled “Great Mite”

Pray

Low Value

Tension

Like I mentioned in the intro, our passage this morning is a familiar one. It is called the story of the “Widows’s Mite” as it speaks to this woman that gave all that she had to God.

How much is a mite

Now the Bible says that she gave two Mites, and outside of the Bible I haven’t the slightest idea how much a mite is worth. In the parallel passage to this in Mark 12:42 it tells us that Two mites make a farthings. So in a way that doesn’t answer the question at all for us in 21st century Mark tells us that a mite is half of a farthing. Which, if we were to make an exchange in todays money would be about $2.

Given out of lack

That isn’t a lot of money. That is why our text says in

Luke 21:4 KJV 1900

For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.

She gave out of her penury. Out of her lack.

Remember that in the passage we covered just before this we find Jesus confronting the Scribes saying that the devour widows houses.

A drop in the bucket

This is a continuation of that theme. To the Scribes and to the Pharisees and Sadducees what this woman had contributed was nothing. I mean one estimate put the first temple, the one that Solomon built at around $30 Million dollars. What was this woman’s $2.

High Value

Truth

Wrongly Judging

This unfortunately is the story of the Pharisees. If any passage describes the error that the religious leaders of the time had in trying to understand God it is:

1 Samuel 16:7 KJV 1900

But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

Tax Burden

Not even to address the spiritual implications of this, We can get this wrong in our society all of the time.

The average cost of living in this country is for a family of four is $4,045 or $48,540 a year. With that number we can estimate that if the combined household income of a family is less than $48,540 a year, they are almost assuredly going to struggle.

So if we look at a family that is making $50,000/ year and we hit them with a, I don’t know 1% income tax increase what does that leave them with....$960 a year. That same hit to a family that is bringing in $100,000 a year hurts a lot less. That family has the same cost of living of $48,540 but get to build on it out of their abundance. Do they pay more in that 1% increase, absolutely, they now pay $1,000. But, they have $40,460 available over the cost of living. That 1% is far more precious to the person living just at the cost of living than someone making twice as much. But that really isn’t something that politics takes into account when they raise taxes is it.

What about the tithe burden

But, how much more is true for those who give faithfully in tithes and offerings? We should appreciate that a 10% offering is more of a sacrifice for someone who has little. The widows that were being taken advantage of by the religious leaders didn’t have it to spare but still gave. We can’t lose site of the fact that faithfulness in giving for those who have little is of far more value to God, because they give out of their lack not their abundance.

God’s Economy

Application

Jesus doesn’t instruct on how to give

A lot of folks will take this passage in make it a statement about how we should give, but Jesus doesn’t give us any instruction here, he is just pointing something out the difference in the heart action between the Religious Leaders and the Widow

The Highest Donor

Luke 21:3 KJV 1900

And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:

In God’s economy, this widow was the highest donor.

I don’t know of any particular case of this happening but it is certainly conceivable that a church would look on those with the ability to give more with higher favor. I don’t think I need to get into any theological debates to get you to agree that this is the wrong attitude.

But lets understand that income and giving wasn’t the issue that the Pharisees had. They were prideful and arrogant.

Time

Just like them, we in the church can get out our spiritual yard stick and start measuring others. It could be something as simple as time. Not everyone has the same kind of time as everyone else. You might see someone who doesn’t have children living at home or has children that are older and more independent putting in a lot of time, and volunteering for a lot of ministries at church. But on the on the other hand you might see someone like our friend Torrie. Torrie has 3 small children, one is special needs. She has a teenager and husband which I am sure are an effort in their own right. And to top it off, she is working from home. Now, we see Torie doing things around the church on a regular basis. Her time, and my time aren’t the same. Just like the widow’s mite, what time Torie gives out of her lack of time is far more valuable than someone with plenty of time giving out of their abundance.

Talent

But what about talent. We have people in church who have been given gifts to do very public activities in the church. Preaching or teaching. Signing or playing instruments. But we have to understand that what it takes for a seasoned preacher to get behind the pulpit is entirely different that what it takes for someone who is preaching for the first time. That person who stands up in front of the church to play an instrument or sing, that lacks in self assurance but wants to serve God with whatever fledgling and undeveloped skill they are given. To our ears it may not be worth as much as the performance of an experienced musician but God doesn’t see things the same way.

Understanding

But even our level of understanding and spiritual maturity are taken into account.

On one hand speaking of immature Christians we read Paul saying

1 Corinthians 3:1–2 KJV 1900

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

And while this statement comes in the middle of a strong rebuke from Paul we can see that he had excersised care in feeding them with milk. He was gentle on them knowing that though they might be faithful, they still had a long journey in spiritual growth ahead of them.

To contrast that, as he speaks of himself. An apostle, who has had more revealed to him than any other man he says:

Romans 7:24–25 KJV 1900

O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

The great shame is that until Jesus came onto the scene this isn’t how the leaders thought. They looked down their noses at all of those that didn’t obtain the high social status of being part of the religious leadership.

So Jesus over and over had to correct this heart attitude.

Something to Offer

Inspiration

DL Moody related:

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 2306 How to See Growth in Christ

Dr. Bonar once said that he could tell when a Christian was growing. In proportion to his growth in grace he would elevate his Master, talk less of what he himself was doing, and become smaller and smaller in his own esteem, until, like the morning star, he faded away before the rising sun.

Corrected Theology

Some time back we were looking at what happened with the Rich Young Ruler and at the end of their exchange we read in Luke 18:24

Luke 18:24 KJV 1900

And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

At this point the disciples had their theology corrected. They thought that since the rich were more blessed that they must have had greater favor with God. They thought that since they were able to give more then they could essentially purchase more favor from God with their giving.

We are pretty blessed that that isn’t thinking that we have ever really had in our modern understanding of Christianity.

That isn’t our God

This point Paul makes at Mars hill relates. In Acts 17 Paul is addressing the Greek philosophers. Asking how they can confine a God that lives in heaven and in earth to a temple, then of God he says

King James Version Chapter 17

25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

I love that phrase: as though he needed anything.

If God was had some sort of lack, then maybe we could have this Pharisee like way of looking down on others. That we are somehow the better provider of the things that God needs, or that the church needs than someone else.

Really though, we are in no position to boast. I am glad that I can come to God with this little bit that I have to offer and He accepts it. And he can use it. And he doesn’t just ignore me because someone else can do better.

God’s preffered Offering

In fact when God says what offering he prefers, it isn’t some sacrifice of an animal, or high dollar deposit in the treasury. In 1 Samuel 15:22 Samuel says as the prophet of God

1 Samuel 15:22 KJV 1900

And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to hearken than the fat of rams.

Like the Widow

Action

Humble widow attitudes

I can’t imagine that the Widow went into the treasury that day thinking she was something special because of her 2 dollars she was going to deposit. I don’t think she considered that the mite she held in her purse on the way to the temple was going to be so noticed by God that it would be used to shame the prideful religious leaders.

She just gave faithfully. She didn’t enlarge her garment to display her piety, we never hear about here making sure that everyone could see what she did. This woman was the complete 180 degree opposite of Pharisee’s warned about in the last Chapter.

I think that you and I would benefit from having her perspective. The work of God is like that $30 Million temple. We don’t have but $2 to give. And we should never get to believing the lie that what we have to offer is greater than that of the widow.

Close in prayer